Nonrefillable container



' May 21, 1946. N. ARCHIDIACANO NONREFILL ABLE CONTAINER Filed July 18, 1944 mi N m. w.

Patented May 21, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NONREFILLABLE CONTAINER Nicholas Archidiacano, Boston, Mass.

Application July 18, 1944, Serial No. 545,449

1 Claim.

ihis invention relates to non-refillable containers and has particular reference to non-refillable bottles and to a novel check-valve unit of simple, inexpensive and efficient construction for incorporation in bottles and other containers to prevent refilling thereof.

The invention has for its object to provide an improved non-refillable bottle or other container, and it also has for its object to provide, as a new article of manufacture, an improved self-contained check-valve unit for incorporation within the outlet of a bottle or other container to render the latter non-refillable.

To these ends I have provided certain improvements relating to bottles or other containers of the class indicated as set forth in the following description, the several novel features of the invention being separately pointed out and defined in the claim at the close of said description.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a non-refillable bottle constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a central vertical sectional view of the housing member hereinafter described showing the same in its condition prior to the mold ing of its upper end portion.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the housing member shown in Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a central vertical sectional view of the cage member hereinafter described.

Figure '7 is a top plan view of the cage mem ber shown in Fig. 6.

Figure 8 shows the structure of Fig. 2 in inverted position.

The illustrated embodiment of m invention comprises a bottle ll! made With a tubular neck or spout H within which is fixed a flow-com trolling check-valve unit that is indicated gen with an annular nipple or spout flange 2i which valve-seat flange ll (Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 8) which ensures asmooth flow of the discharging contents of the bottle when the latter is tilted toward the inverted position shown in Fig. 8.

Forcib1y fitted within the cylindrical portion of housing 53 is a cage member 22 molded from thin sheet metal and within which are loosely confined a metallic spherical Weight 23 and a thin sheet metal disk valve 24, the latter being normally held seated upon the inner marginal portion of flange H by said sphere or ball 23 as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower portion of the cage 22 is made cylindrical and of smaller outside diameter than the interior of the housing [3 said cylindrical portion being formed adjacent to its lower end with a circular series of ports 25 (Fig. 6), While the upper end of the cage is closed by an imperforate vaulted top wall 2ii whose interior provides a pocket to receive the ball 23 when the bottle is inverted or tilted into pouring position,

When the bottle is inverted or tilted for pouring the contents thereof is free to discharge by gravity through ports 18 and 25 into the annular passageway between housing I3 and cage 22 and thence through port 29 of nipple 2! into the delivery end portion of conduit [4,

The cage 22 is made at its lower end with arim 28 adapted to be forcibly fitted within housing [3 so that the cage i fixedly and immovably held in position within the latter,

The housing 23 is produced from an originally cylindrical sheet metal blank Ito (Figs. 4 and 5) into which the cage 22 containing the ball weight 23 and valve 24 is forced after which the upper portion of the blank is molded, by means of dies, spinning, or otherwise, to form the vaulted roof portion l9 and nipple 2!.

The above described check-valve unit is of simple, inexpensive and efficient construction, requires few parts and may be cemented or otherwise secured in position within the outlet port or conduit of a bottle or other container to render the same non-refillable.

It will be observed that the vaulted shape of the top portion of the housing serves jointly with the wall of conduit M to provide an annular recess or pocket for the cement it by which the unit is fixed in position within said conduit and by which the joint surrounding the unit is sealed.

An advantage to the above described construction is that the cage 22 is disposed directly between and in axial alinement with the ports l8 and 20 of the housing member l3 and therefore a the valve 24 and ball 23 are completely isolated and wholly inaccessible so that they cannot be reached and manipulated by means of an instrument inserted in the neck ll of the bottle.

What I claim is:

As a new article of manufacture, a self-contained check-valve unit of the character described adapted to be fixed within the neck of a bottle to control the flow therethrough, said unit comprising a sheet metal housing element molded to shape from a single piece of sheet metal so as to provide the same with a cylindrical lower portion provided at its top with a vaulted top wall having a centrally disposed constricted outlet port surrounded by a cylindrical external spout flange and having at its lower end an inwardly extending radial valve seat flange surrounding a centrally disposed inlet port; an inverted'cage member within said housing element molded to shape from a single piece of sheet 'metal so as to provide the same with a lower cylindrical portion having at its lower end an outwardly projecting base flange seated upon said first-mentioned flange of said housing element and forcibly fitted telescopically within said housing element so that it is permanently fixed in position between said two ports, said cage member having an imperforate vaulted top wall serving as a barrier between said two ports and also having its lower cylindrical portion made adjacent to its lower end with a series of laterally directed ports providing communication between the interior of said cage member and a passage existing between the exterior of the latter and the interior of said housing element; a sheet metal disk valve member loosely confined within the cylindrical portion of said cage member and normally seated upon the inwardly extending radial flange of said housing element to 0 close the inlet port of the latter, and a, valve-closing ball weight movably confined within said cage member and normally seated directly upon NICHOLAS ARCHFDIACANO. 

